In January 2020, the Charleston Moves team joined the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and their consultants, as well as the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments (BCDCOG), Palmetto Cycling Coalition, the City of North Charleston, and Dorchester County on a Road Safety Audit (RSA) of Ashley Phosphate from Dorchester Road to Rivers Avenue. The intent of the RSA is to assess the existing conditions and make suggestions for improvement in order to make the road safe and functional for all users. Planners and engineers across agencies will rely on this document as they develop safety improvement projects for the corridor.
Between January 2013 and June 2021, 35 people on foot and 16 people on bicycles were hit on Ashley Phosphate Road. On January 22, 2022, we lost another community member while walking. This corridor is ranked as one of the top ten most dangerous in the state for vulnerable road users, and within the top five in Charleston County. In May 2022, SCDOT put improvement concepts in front of the public for input, which are based upon the January 2020 Road Safety Audit. You can read more about our stance in a joint commentary with Representatives Gilliard and Pendarvis HERE.
In July 2025, SCDOT hosted a groundbreaking for the start of construction of the safety improvements recommended along the corridor. These improvements can be found HERE (Project Materials > Public Information Meeting Materials > Public Information Meeting Concepts 1-4).
Charleston Moves’ recommendation to construct a continuous multi-use path along the corridor in the wide right-of-way is not part of the project, so we have suggested it for inclusion in Charleston County’s potential Transportation Sales Tax (TST) extension.
As of January 2026, SCDOT continues construction of improvements to the corridor. You can find their update video HERE.